


Bright Eyes

by LadyofAvalon



Category: Provost's Dog - Tamora Pierce
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-06-12
Updated: 2012-06-11
Packaged: 2017-11-07 13:10:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 13,812
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/431549
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyofAvalon/pseuds/LadyofAvalon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Officer Beka Cooper of the Chicago Police Department has a problem: she doesn't have a partner. When she meets her new partner, she finds she can't stand him. Will Beka discover that everything she hates about him may be what makes them such a good team?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Day in the Life

**Author's Note:**

> This story was begun several years ago and is currently on hold while I finish other things, though I have every intention of going back to it and possibly rewriting it. That said, there are some definite errors in the story itself and how it relates to actual life.

"Parker's left New York." Rebekah Cooper looked up from her report to see Sergeant Clara Goodwin leaning against the wall nearby. Beka frowned, blinking her blue-grey eyes at her fellow officer.

"What happened this time? Did he have a 'disagreement' with the chief there?" Beka asked. Goodwin shook her head.

"Nah. The reason he left isn't being released. I just got an e-mail from a friend of mine who works there," she told the younger woman. Beka snorted.

"He can't keep a job, can he?" Beka asked. Goodwin shook her head, just a hint of mirth in her eyes. "He's been in Detroit, Seattle, Los Angeles, Dallas, and New York in the last seven years, and has had a problem every time. I suppose we shouldn't find that amusing…" She continued. Goodwin shrugged.

"Eh. He can never get along with the officers or the chief. The funny part about that is that half of them are women, and he's known to be quiet the lady's man," Goodwin told her. Beka nodded.

"That _is_ funny," she said with a grin. Then she glanced at the clock on her desk and started at the time on the display. "Oh, I have to go, if I don't get my sisters and brothers up, they'll be late for school. See you tonight, Clary," she said as she gathered up the things she needed to take home with her. She stuffed the report she had been working on in a folder, tossed her cold cup of coffee in the trash, and grabbed her purse and the bottle of water on her desk. She sighed as she let herself out of the building. As the door closed, Beka caught a glimpse of the Chicago Police Department logo on the door. She smiled slightly and walked over to where her car was parked.

Shifting slightly, she dug in her pocket for her car keys. She tossed everything into the passenger seat and let her hair out of the bun she had put it in. After glancing in the mirror, she secured her dark blond locks in a neat ponytail. She put the car in gear and backed out of the parking space.

Twenty minutes later, she was let herself into her apartment to find it a mess. Bags of chips and popcorn were scattered around the couch, along with soda cans and water bottles. The counter in the small kitchen was covered in the like with the addition of dirty dishes, and some debris. The rest of the main room was covered in similar trash. Beka made a very annoyed noise and closed the door behind her.

After putting the dishes in the sink and clearing off the counter, she went to wake the ones who had made such a mess. Much to her pleasure, the mess did not extend past the scene at the front door. That was really what she wanted – to clean up a mess when she needed sleep. Beka was not particularly pleased. She walked down the hallway to the bedrooms. It had been a little over two years since all four of her younger siblings had come to live with her. When their mother had died, she had left eighteen-year-old Diana to care for the three younger children when her and Beka's stepfather had walked out on them. Diana just hadn't been able to keep up with the younger teenagers, school, working to support the four of them.

"Diana, Lorine, it's time to get up," she said, knocking on the door to the room the girls shared.

"Go away," a voice called from inside.

"No. Get up," Beka ordered. She let herself into the room, only to be hit with a pillow Lorine threw at her. She sent a dirty look at her sister before shaking Diana. "Di, wake up. You've got class in an hour and a half." Diana rolled over and looked at her sister.

"You have got to be kidding me," she said. Beka shook her head.

"Nope. That's what you get for picking an early class. Now get up. You, too, Lorine." Sending a meaningful look at the younger of the two girls, Beka walked out of the room again, and headed to the room Will and Nilo shared.

"Boys, up," she said through the door after knocking. There was a yelp, followed by a thump, inside, which prompted Beka to open the door. What she found was rather funny – Nilo, who had the top bunk in their bunk bed, had climbed down and jumped on his brother. Now, they were wrestling on the floor by Will's bed, laughing. Beka grinned and watched as they attempted to right themselves, then Nilo jumped on Will and it began all over again. She laughed as she walked away from the room and back to the kitchen to make breakfast for herself and her siblings.

As Beka began getting things out, she discovered that, due to whatever had happened the night before, most of the pantry was empty. There was cereal, but that was about it. The refrigerator was mostly empty, as well, save for milk and a few other miscellaneous things. She sighed and pulled the milk out, putting it on the counter as Diana and Lorine appeared, now fully dressed.

"What happened last night to have caused such a big mess?" Beka asked, tilting her head just slightly as she watched them. Diana flushed and Lorine looked away. Beka raised her eyebrows and stared at her sisters.

"We, uh, had a party. Nothing big, just a few friends," Lorine finally admitted. Beka glanced at Diana, who nodded sheepishly. Beka shook her head.

"Whose idea was it, and did you get the boys involved?" Diana shook her head, and Lorine looked uncomfortable. They both knew they were in trouble.

"It was mine," Lorine said. "But, no, we didn't let them come. They were in their room all night." Beka gave them both very disappointed looks, brushing her long bangs behind her ears to keep them back from her face.

"You two are in serious trouble. Lorine, you know the rules – no parties without my permission and supervision. And you know how tight my budget is right now. If it hadn't been for the fact that I'm still paying for the damage you did to my car when you rear-ended that SUV last month, I wouldn't be as upset. You can't have parties that could get me in trouble with my landlady and demolish the pantry." She glanced at Diana, who was trying to sneak out the door with her backpack. "And don't think you're off the hook, Di. You let it happen," she told her sister. She turned back to Lorine. "You're grounded for a month, and you and Diana are going to clean this up," she said. Lorine gave her a horrified look.

"Beka! You can't do that – Leslie's party is this weekend! If I don't go, I'll be the ridicule of the school!" She wailed. Beka crossed her arms over her chest.

"You should have thought about that before you had that party," she informed Lorine. The younger girl turned bright red and glared at Beka.

"Mama would have let me go," she said venomously. Beka glared right back at her.

"Mom isn't here, Lorine. While you live with me, you listen to me," she said. Lorine's glare turned hateful.

"You're not in charge of me, Beka. Quit acting like Mama." With that, Lorine turned tail and fled to the room she shared with Diana. Beka glanced at the door, where her other sister stood frozen.

"Go ahead and have some breakfast, Di. If the boys come out, have them eat, too. I want to get out of my uniform," she said. Diana nodded and put her backpack down as Beka disappeared down the hall to her room.

Beka sat down on her bed once she had closed the door. Was that really how Lorine thought she was acting? She was just trying to do what was best for them and watch out for them. Before their mother had died, Lorine had never acted like that. In the last two years, though, her behavior had become somewhat rebellious. _More than somewhat rebellious_ , Beka thought bluntly. It was almost odd, since it was Diana who Beka had had trouble with before she had gone off to school. Whenever Beka had visited after that, Diana had been ecstatic to see her older sister.

Finally, Beka sighed and slipped out of her uniform. She pulled on a pair of jeans and a grey CPD t-shirt before hanging the uniform up and yawning. A mew sounded from behind her and she turned to see her cat, Pounce, appearing from under the bed. He jumped onto the simple blue comforter on her bed and demanded to be petted. Beka smiled and obediently scratched behind his ears. She studied her cat for a moment, running her hand along his silky black fur.

Pounce was an unusual cat, and not just because he had strange tendencies. Among his peculiarities were his eyes: they were purple. He had attached himself to her on her first day at work and had refused to be separated from her. He had been little more than a kitten then. Now, he was a large cat who insisted on eating both his own food, and whatever human food Beka would let him have.

"Have I really done that badly, Pounce? Badly enough for Lorine to hate me? I'm not trying to be Mom, but I still want what's best for her, for all of them," she told the cat. He meowed again and rubbed his head against her arm affectionately, as if trying to reassure her. Not for the first time, Beka was exceedingly thankful that she had Pounce.

When she returned to the kitchen, Will and Nilo were eating cereal, and Diana was munching on a piece of toast while reading one of her textbooks. There was an empty bowl by the sink, and Lorine was nowhere to be found. Diana looked up when she heard her sister.

"Lorine ate and left for school. She said to tell you she was sorry," Diana said. Beka nodded while she poured some cereal – Cheerios – into a bowl.

"Did you two finish your homework?" She asked Will and Nilo. They nodded. "Good. Anything you need signed or help with?" They shook their heads. "Alright, here's some money for lunch," she said, pulling out her wallet and passing each of them the appropriate amount.

"Thanks, Beka," Will said. Nilo nodded, but refrained from speaking as his mouth was crammed with cereal. Beka raised an eyebrow at Nilo, who grinned as best he could around the cereal. She grinned back at him and ruffled his hair. She wolfed down her bowl of cereal while they finished up, and took their bowls and put them in the sink once they were done. Diana slipped her textbook back in her messenger bag as Will and Nilo grabbed their backpacks. She waved to her older sister and followed the boys out the door.

Beka waved back, yawning again, and headed back to her bedroom to get some sleep.

* * *

The first thing Beka became aware of was her alarm clock screaming at her that it was time to get up. She rolled over and looked at the numbers on the digital display. It was three o'clock. Groaning, she dragged herself out of bed. She grabbed her hairbrush and let her hair down from the morning's ponytail without even looking at the mirror. After pulling her hair back up again, she padded to her bathroom and began what would be her morning routine – as if it was morning.

Once she was done, she let herself out of her room, allowing Pounce to follow her, and walked down the hall. When she reached the main room, she found Diana at the counter, again with her textbook open. Diana grinned at Beka when she saw her.

"Sleep well?" She asked. Beka nodded, sighing.

"Yes, but I'm going to have to run to the store, since there's practically nothing left," she said. Diana winced when Beka unconsciously mentioned the party that had occurred the previous night. Beka sighed again before grabbing a pair of clean socks from the pile of laundry she had done the day before. She put on a pair of slip-on tennis shoes, grabbed her purse, stuck her wallet inside, and opened the door.

"See you later, Di," she told her sister, who raised a hand in farewell.


	2. An Unexpected Run-In

_Why do they always run?_ Beka wondered to herself. On duty again, she was chasing an illicit drug dealer who had been selling cocaine to minors. She was on foot, chasing the young man through the streets because he had turned tail and run when she had asked him a few questions about what he was doing. She hated it when they ran.

He turned down an alley, then onto one of the main roads. Beka turned the corner onto the main road and put on a burst of speed. She was only a few yards away when he dodged across the street and started going the opposite direction. She followed, turning sharply around a car as the streetlamp flickered. Then she collided with something – or someone – she hadn't seen.

They went tumbling to the concrete with muffled grunts. Beka rolled over to see that the man she had been chasing had disappeared.

"Dang it." She smacked her palm against the sidewalk, muttering under her breath.

"Do you need a hand up?" A deep voice asked behind her. She glanced over her shoulder to see a blond man kneeling next to her. He was wearing a perfectly fitted pair of dark blue jeans, a tight black t-shirt, and a dark jean jacket. He was also wearing black combat boots, which were just barely visible from her position on the ground.

Beka nodded, studying him for a moment. He was very pale, and it didn't look like it was an accident that he was. His features were sharp, and his cheekbones high, which accentuated the hint of the flush on his thin cheeks. His hair was so fair that it was almost white, but it suited him. It was long and was kept back from his face in a short ponytail. His eyes, so dark brown that they appeared black, twinkled under brows that were just dark enough to see against his pale skin. He offered her his hand, watching her intently.

She put her hand in his and he pulled her up, rising as he did so. Unconsciously, she noted that his hand was callused but still gentle. She flushed when she realized that her hand was still in his a moment later. She hurriedly withdrew her hand, glancing up at him.

"Are you alright, Officer…" he paused for just a moment, his eyes darting to the badge that had her name on it, "Cooper?" He asked, looking a little concerned. She nodded, turning a little redder.

"Yes. I am. And my name's Beka," she said responded quietly. Her shyness had started to kick in. He bobbed his head toward her.

"Rosto." Beka's jaw dropped when he said that. She instantly knew who he was. The white-blond hair, still brown at the tips from a recent dye job that had mostly worn out, the black eyes and easy grace. Everything seemed to scream at her now that she knew his name.

"The Piper?" She asked, almost disbelievingly. He snorted.

"Well, actually, my name is Rosto Parker, but yes, I'm known as the Piper," he told her, a hint of amusement coloring his voice. He grinned at her and she felt her flush deepen again. She looked down, feeling extremely shy. She hated it when her shyness overcame her, as it had now. He chuckled.

"No need to be shy. Though, I do seem to have that effect on people…" He smiled winningly at her, but Beka's response was a sudden, affronted glare. She was being shy because she didn't know him, not because she thought him so stunning that she couldn't speak.

 _What an ego,_ she thought. _No wonder he has trouble keeping a job down._ Parker winced, getting the full brunt of one of her ice-eyed glares. But he didn't swear, like a lot of people did when they saw her eyes. Well, that was one mark for him, even if he did have one against him already.

She was still glaring at him when the radio at her hip crackled and a voice emitted from it. "Cooper, report." With a sigh, she unhooked it and turned away.

"This is Cooper. I lost him on the streets when I ran into a little…problem. I'll meet you back at the corner. Out." With that, she shut off the radio and put it back. She was tempted to look back, wondering what Parker was doing. Then she realized that she was going to have to go back that way or go the long way around.

 _Oh, bah. Just what I want,_ she thought. With an inward sigh, she turned around and started walking back towards the corner she'd started at. Parker raised an eyebrow at her, an amused expression on his face. Beka tried to ignore him and walked by.

"I suppose I'll be seeing you, then," he said in a low voice as she passed. Beka shot him another ice-eyed glare.

"Don't bet on it," she snapped. "I don't have time for stuck-up pretty boys," she added under her breath so he couldn't hear her. She walked away without another word. Her first impression of Rosto Parker wasn't a good one.

* * *

When Beka got back to the corner she'd started at, Goodwin had rolled down the window and was waiting for her expectantly. Beka walked around the cruiser and opened the door roughly. After flopping down in the seat and pulling the door closed.

"What was the problem you ran into?" Goodwin asked. She and Beka had only been partnered since their shift started. Goodwin's partner, Tunstall, was on vacation, and Beka's partner had just retired. So, they had gotten put together again for the time being. Well, they had been partnered for a while as a threesome, but for the moment, it was just Beka and Goodwin.

"I ran into Parker. Literally. I didn't see him when I was chasing the perp and slammed into him," Beka told her. Goodwin barked a laugh. She had known Beka since the younger woman had joined the force, and that was among the funnier incidents she had heard about.

"So Parker's here, then? Hmm. We can only hope he's just passing through on his way somewhere else…" Goodwin muttered. The two women exchanged glances, both hoping that he really was just passing through. Beka really didn't want to have to deal with that every day.

Beka started fiddling with a loose string on her uniform while Goodwin put the cruiser into gear and hit the gas. For some strange reason, she couldn't get those eyes out of her mind. It was strange to her, not only because she didn't even like the man, but she'd never been much interested in dating. She'd had a boyfriend in high school, but it hadn't been very serious. In college, she hadn't had time for it, and now it was even worse. She worked all night, slept most of the day. She just didn't have time. She knew that Goodwin was married, and Tunstall had a girlfriend, but it amazed her how they managed that if their lives were anything like hers. But then, they didn't have four younger siblings living with them and throwing wild parties when they were at work.

Now that Beka thought about it, it would have been very ironic if her neighbors had called the police on Lorine and Diana. If only for the fact that Beka was an officer herself, that is. It wouldn't have been pretty for them if that had happened, because it would most likely have been Beka who ended up breaking up the party.

Beka glanced at the digital display on her left, noting that it was almost three in the morning. Well, she and Goodwin would be out patrolling the streets for a few more hours. It was going to be a long three hours, that was for sure.

* * *

"Hey, Beks, Sarge said she wants to talk to you before work tonight." Beka looked up to see her friend Ersken Westover poking his head into the office she had shared with her partner before his retirement. She nodded, putting her pen down and glancing at the clock on her desk. Fifteen minutes until the end of her shift. She glanced up at Ersken as she sipped her coffee.

"How are things with Kora?" She asked, referring to his girlfriend of three years. Ersken flushed, grinning at Beka. They had known each other since high school, and, though they had gone to different colleges, they had somehow both ended up back in Chicago working night shift at the CPD. It was strange how things worked like that.

"Fine," he said. He looked slightly uncomfortable for a moment. "I'm going to ask her to marry me tonight," he continued in a nervous undertone. Beka grinned and got up from her desk.

"That's wonderful, Ersken," she told him. She gave her friend a swift hug, then allowed him to disappear back to his own desk so he could finish what he was supposed to be working on.

She sighed, her mind back on her report once more. That was probably one of her least favorite parts of being a policewoman – writing the reports. Most of all, she hated writing up the reports of people who got away from her. She enjoyed actually reading other people's reports, but writing her own was a pain. Still, she had only just 'grown out of' being considered a rookie.

Finally, she put her pen down and placed the report on top of the pile that she would have to turn in that night.

Getting ready to leave once again, Beka let herself out of her office, noting that the Lieutenant Ahuda's office door was closed. That meant that 'the Sarge,' as she was called by almost everyone in the department, was either talking to someone, or doing something confidential. Undoubtedly, it would be all over by the beginning of her next shift.

When she left the building for the parking lot, the first thing she noticed was a black hummer parked a couple of cars down from hers. _Hmm. Someone new to the department?_ She wondered. Well, that wasn't unusual. She dismissed it and walked over to her car, her mind on other things.


	3. More Problems

When Beka returned for her shift in the evening, everyone turned to look at her as she walked in the door. That instantly made her feel uncomfortable. It was as if they all knew what Ahuda wanted to talk to her about before she did. With a sigh, Beka made her way over to her office to pick up the reports she had finished earlier.

The first thing she noticed when she walked into the room was that the desk across from hers now had things on it. There was a small stereo system on one of shelves behind the desk, along with pile of CD jewelcases, an iPod, and a set of speakers for the small device. There were a few pieces of paper on the desk, several pens on the right hand side, and, for some absolutely obscure reason, a worn guitar pick.

Beka dumped her things on her chair and grabbed the folders her reports were in. As she walked back out of the office, she flipped through the folders, making sure everything was there before knocking on her commanding officer's door.

"Enter," Lieutenant Ahuda called. Beka let herself in, standing at attention and looking at the wall over her superior's head. "At ease, Cooper," Ahuda said. "Have a seat." Beka did so, handing her reports to Ahuda before she did. The other woman put them on her desk, but made no move to open the top folder and skim the report. Instead, she turned her brown eyes on the younger woman, studying her for a moment.

"Now, Cooper, you know why I called you in here, don't you?" She asked. Beka shook her head. "Ah. Westover didn't tell you after he snooped. I'm surprised. Anyway, since the Vale's retirement, you've been working with Tunstall and Goodwin again, correct?" Ahuda paused for Beka's affirmation, starting off again when she had it. "Well, I have a new partner for you." Beka grinned. She couldn't help it – this was what she had been waiting for!

She had enjoyed working with the Goodwin and Tunstall, who were now her good friends, for the first six months that she had worked for CPD as a trainee before being promoted to a full officer. Beka desperately wanted a partner of her own. Vale, her first partner, had been a good mentor before his retirement, but he wasn't _her_ partner.

"Now, I must warn you, your new partner is a bit difficult to work with, and doesn't know the city as well as you or I would. Think you're up for it?" Ahuda asked.

"Yes, ma'am," Beka replied. Suddenly, she had a sense of foreboding, and she didn't like that at all.

"You're sure? You won't drop him unless one of you leaves or is transferred?" She shook her head, wondering why Ahuda was asking her that. "I had your word, then?" Beka frowned at that. What in the world was going on?

"You have my word…" Now she was really wondering what was going on.

Why would she drop her first real partner? That did not make much sense to her at all.

"Alright, Cooper. You're partnered with the new guy, what's his name – Parker." Beka just stared at her.

"Parker? As in Rosto Parker?" She stammered, her blue-grey eyes wide as she goggled at the stocky lieutenant. Ahuda frowned slightly and nodded. "Uh...permission to speak freely, ma'am?" She asked, unsure whether this was what she was supposed to say or not. She knew that worked in the military, but she hadn't really had any reason to ask Ahuda if she could give her personal opinion and not get in trouble for it. Ahuda nodded again, her frown deepening.

"Sarge, can't I just stay with Goodwin and Tunstall for a while? Do I have to be partnered with that egotistical, womanizing, white-haired old man?" Beka paused for a moment, a sudden feeling of dread washing over her. "And he's standing right behind me, isn't he?"

That made Ahuda burst out laughing. Beka tilted her head back just a little to see Rosto Parker looking down at her with his arms crossed over his chest and a rather irritated look on his face.

"I'm not old. I'm only twenty-nine," he said indignantly. "And my hair isn't white, it's blond. That's corn silk, sun colored, gold, you get the idea." Beka flushed a brilliant shade of red with embarrassment. She looked down at her feet, wishing she could just disappear. If she had been talking to only Ahuda, then it wouldn't be a problem. She was comfortable with Ahuda. But this, with Parker in there as well, and rather displeased, to top it all off, that was another story entirely.

"I take it that you two have met, then," Ahuda said, pulling a paper out of her desk. "And you gave me your word that you wouldn't drop him, Cooper. I'd also like to point out that Goodwin came to me this morning after the shift was over and asked me for two weeks off because her husband wants to take her on a vacation for their anniversary. So, it's you and Parker unless you want to throw all that hard work you did down the drain and quit." Beka opened her mouth, then shut it again, thinking better of what she was going to say.

"Yes, ma'am," Beka finally said, sinking back in her chair. She glanced up at Ahuda and Parker briefly, then went back to staring at her shoes while she waited for Ahuda to finish.

"Cooper." She looked up at Ahuda, noting that Parker had left the room. "I picked you for his partner because I know you can handle it. Yes, he has an ego the size of Manhattan, but he's one of the best interrogators in the country. They say he's as good as Joule, if not better; that's why they call him 'the Piper.' And he was the one who busted Dawull Rivierton up in New York last month. All you have to do right now is give him a chance. Got it?" Beka nodded. "Back to work with you, then," Ahuda said, giving Beka a reassuring smile.

Beka rose and let herself out of the office, feeling a little numb as she walked back to her own office, which she was now sharing with Parker. She flopped down in the chair behind her desk, pulling some of the paperwork she had yet to do towards her. Tonight, she – and her new partner – was on call for backup, as usual on Fridays.

When she felt a pair of eyes on her, she looked up to see Parker watching her intently. He had an earbud in one ear, while the other one rested on the desk in front of him. He also had a pen in his hand, but his pen was relaxed; he had the end of it resting against his lower lip while he watched her.

"What was that comment about?" He asked. Beka met his eyes and shrugged.

"You made a very poor first impression," she stated curtly. "Let's hope your second impression is somewhat better," she continued. Just as Rosto opened his mouth to respond to that, Beka's cell phone rang. She reached down into her purse to grab it, glancing at the caller ID and flipping it open mid-ring.

"Hello?"

"Beka, Lorine ran off after you left and she's gone to that party you said she couldn't go to!" Diana was practically screaming into the phone. It was loud enough that it made Parker, who was halfway across the room, raise his eyebrows in surprise.

"She did _what?_ " She should have expected that after the display Lorine had put on after getting in trouble for the party she and Diana had thrown…

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to let her go, but Will and I were helping Nilo because he fell off the top bunk. And, and, and…I'm sorry!" Beka winced, moving the phone away from her ear. In an attempt to save her hearing, she hit the button to turn down the earpiece volume before putting it back on her ear.

"Di, stop yelling into the phone, please. You didn't do anything wrong. Lorine's the one who's in trouble. I'll take care of it, you watch Will and Nilo. I have to go, alright?"

"Okay. Bye, sis," Diana said.

"Bye." With a sigh, Beka hung up the phone, thinking about how long Lorine was going to be grounded for. At least another month, maybe more at this rate. Now Beka was in a very bad mood. She glanced back at Parker to see that he was still watching her. "What?" She demanded. She saw a mischievous glint in his eye and once again, he opened his mouth to say something when he was interrupted yet again.

This time it was Ersken, who looked like he'd won the lottery. He didn't knock before he dashed into the room. "Guess what, Beka!" He grinned widely, his blue eyes glittering with his glee. He didn't wait for her to answer before he went on. "Kora said yes! Can you believe it?"

Beka was on her feet again and was enveloped in a hug from her friend before she could do anything else.

"That's wonderful, Ersken," she said. "I'm so happy for you! You and Kora are perfect for each other," she continued once he had released her. Ersken took a step back, his face reddening with a little embarrassment.

"Aw, Beka…" He paused for just a moment before going on. "Kora wants you to be a bridesmaid in the wedding, being a friend of both of ours and all. She's already going over plans with Verene, you know," he added with a laugh. Then he turned pale. "Oh no, I have to go call Mother!" He dashed back out the door without a farewell.

Beka sighed again and went back to her desk, once again flopping down in her chair. Parker was looking down again, writing something on one of the papers in front of him. She was about to open her mouth again, but one of the other officers, Evermore, stuck his head into the office.

"Cooper, we just got a call about a party that's disturbing the neighbors. It's at one of the usual houses – the Dennings are apparently out of town and the teenage daughter has thrown a party again. Sarge wants you and Parker on it. It's the usual, just go in, break it up and quiet it down. Check for alcohol and any kind of drugs while you're there, too," Evermore told her. Beka sighed and got up.

"Got it. Come on, Parker." She stopped by the door, hooking her thumbs in her gun belt while she waited. He got up and followed her, opening his mouth to argue only once when she grabbed the keys to one of the cruisers. Apparently, he wanted to drive. When he asked, her response was "Forget it;" Beka was already in a bad enough mood as it was. Now she had to go break up a party that she knew one of her sisters was at. This wasn't going to be pretty.


	4. Duty

As the cruiser turned down the street, Beka was fighting very hard to keep her face straight. While Parker had been silent the whole drive, Beka had been growing angrier and angrier the whole time.

Lorine knew she was not supposed to go to parties like the ones Leslie Denning threw. Beka had told her repeatedly that she did not want her sister there – those were the parties that the police always had to break up. Leslie's parents didn't care, either. They didn't care if their legally underage daughter threw parties where there were drugs and alcohol.

Beka had done everything she could think of to get Lorine to stop going to those parties because of what happened there. She had broken up two others herself since she had joined the CPD. It was beyond frustrating for her. To make it worse, Lorine was grounded and should not have even thought about going. But, as usual, she had defied Beka and done as she pleased anyway.

By the time Beka pulled the cruiser to a complete stop, both she and Rosto could hear the beat of the music without even rolling down the windows. They were still at least thirty yards from the house itself.

Before making any move to get out of the cruiser, Beka tilted her head back against the headrest for a moment and closed her eyes for a moment. She tried to straighten out her thoughts so that she could do her job properly; just because Lorine was in there didn't mean that she didn't have a job to do. She opened her eyes when Parker cleared his throat.

"Do you want to just stay out here as backup if we need it?" He asked softly, his dark eyes searching out her light ones. "I can get your sister out of there, if you want me to," he continued. Beka hesitated. They both knew that going in there knowing her sister was in there was hard for her, just because Lorine was her sister. After a moment of thought, Beka nodded.

"Thank you," she said quietly. Silently, she pulled out her wallet and the picture of Lorine she kept in it. She handed the picture to Rosto, who glanced at it before getting out of the cruiser. Beka took a deep breath once he was gone, slumping in her seat. Her anger had suddenly disappeared, leaving her upset once again that Lorine thought so little of her that she would go back and do this again and again.

Before their mother's death, Lorine had never been like this. She had adored Beka when she was little. Beka and Diana had fought like dog and cat as teenagers, but Lorine, who was four years younger than Diana, had never been a source of problem. Beka let out a sigh before she pulled her iPod out and put one of the earbuds in (leaving the other hanging so that she could hear). Quietly, glancing up at the party, she flicked through the artists until she got the Josh Groban. She hit the play button and the beginning melody of _Si Volvieras A Mi_ began to play.

For about fifteen minutes, she sat there and watched the house. She felt lazy for just sitting here and letting everyone else to all the work when she was perfectly fine. Guilt roiled in the pit of her stomach; this was _her job_. She wasn't supposed to care what who she was bringing in, she was just supposed to do it. Just because Lorine was in there didn't mean that she could neglect her duty.

A second later, Beka pulled the earbud out, turning the iPod off, and put it back where she had gotten it. She got out of the cruiser and slammed the door shut. She stopped on the other side of the cruiser and leaned back against it when she saw the front door open again. Parker appeared in the doorway, hauling a blond teenager behind him. Lorine. Clad in a short violet mini-skirt and a low-cut lavender tank top, Lorine staggered violently as Rosto led her to where Beka was. She was screeching and struggling against his iron-hard grasp.

"Lemme go! You can't do anything to me, my sister's a cop!" Lorine shrieked. Parker's expression was one of calm insistence.

"That isn't going to help you, Lorine," Beka said, raising her voice so that Lorine and Parker could both hear her. All the color drained from Lorine's face when she heard Beka's voice. Her eyes locked on her sister's face and she stared at Beka until Parker made her start walking again.

He led Lorine to the cruiser, opening the back door and directing her to get in it without a word. She shot him a dirty look but obeyed. Beka raised her eyebrows at him when he looked up at her again. He just shrugged without a word and moved over to the passenger door. Beka walked back around, opening the driver's door and climbing in again.

"I can't believe she's related to you," Parker muttered, glaring over his shoulder at the surly teen in the back seat. Beka frowned slightly, glancing at him for a second. She saw a red mark on his pale cheek. He crossed his arms over his chest, turning his glare on the road in front of them while she put the cruiser into gear again. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, very curious about where that red mark had come from. The way he was still glaring out the front window in a surly way told her that he probably wasn't going to tell her….

* * *

Back at the station, Beka hauled Lorine out of the back seat when the teenager refused to get out.

"But Beka! I didn't do nothing wrong!" She wailed, eliciting another dirty look from Parker.

"That's exactly right, Lorine," Beka told her. "You didn't do 'nothing' wrong. You did a lot wrong. You went to a party I told you not to, participated in underage drinking, got caught-"

"And struck an officer of the law," Rosto cut in. Beka glanced at him over her shoulder, her eyes falling on the red mark that was highlighted by the stark lighting overhead as they entered the CPD building.

"Add that to the tally, you're sitting in the slammer all night, Lorine," Beka told her. Beka handed off Lorine to one of the officers who would escort her to where she would be spending the night and rejoined Parker in their office. He had gone back to his desk and was working on something, thankfully. Almost sighing with relief, Beka did the same. She would have to bail Lorine out in the morning, but for now, it was time to wait again. And time for more paperwork…


	5. Late

When Beka looked at the clock, she was not exactly pleased. The digital display told her that her shift ended in three minutes. She sighed and picked up the papers she had been working on. Placing them neatly in a folder on her desk, the next thing she did was toss the empty water bottle which had also occupied her desk.

A beep sounded from across the room. She looked up to see her partner digging his cell phone out of his pocket and flipping it open. He chuckled, hitting the buttons on his phone rapidly. Beka rolled her eyes and pulled her wallet out, and pulled out the cash she would need for Lorine's bail.

She sighed, thinking about the events of the night before. What was she going to do with Lorine? If this happened again, Beka wasn't sure what she _was_ going to do, because she had tried everything she could think of. The only option she had left if Lorine continued to act out was to send her to their grandparents. That was Beka's last resort – she had been trying to keep their lives as normal and as much like their lives before their mother had died as possible. But, if she really had to, she would. It wasn't something she wanted – the whole point of her siblings living with her was so that they wouldn't be uprooted.

Beka glanced up at her partner again, blushing when he smirked at her and raised his eyebrows. She narrowed her eyes, giving him one of her looks.

"Do you really have that big a problem with me?" he asked.

"I really appreciate what you did last night, but you need to work on your first impressions. The instant assumption that a woman is shy around you because you think you're handsome isn't something that helps. My friends know me as shy. You made me nervous. But from now on, I would watch it if I were you, Parker. I won't stroke your ego, and you will have to deal with it," she said. He stared at her, blinking a few times before she stood up and gathered her things. That was the most he had heard her say since they had met.

"See you later, Parker." Beka walked out of the shared office and headed over to the front desk.

Ten minutes later, she led Lorine out to the parking lot, a frown set on her face. Lorine was glaring at her.

"How could you do that to me, Beka?" she demanded when they had reached the car. Beka turned around and gave her sister a scathing look.

"Lorine Elizabeth Cooper. You have crossed the line this time. Not only did you disobey me, but you broke the law. I am a police officer. As much as I love and care for you, I will do my duty. If that means that I have to arrest you because you broke the law, I will do so. That was one of the oaths I took when I entered the Chicago Police Department, and _I_ will _not_ break it. If you don't get over yourself and start acting like you're supposed to, it won't be my problem, got it?"

Lorine stared at her for a few silent moments before she morosely went over to the passenger door and jerked it open. Without thinking about it, Beka followed suit, proceeding to slam her door shut.

Neither of the two of them spoke while Beka drove back to her apartment. The silence hung as they walked into the building. Beka was still far less than pleased and she was tired. She was glad that she only had one more day of work before she had the weekend off. Then she could actually sleep at night for a couple of days.

When she opened the door she had just unlocked, she found that Diana had fallen asleep on the couch. The younger woman was sprawled half on the couch and half off. Beka glanced back at Lorine, who was glaring at her sleeping sister. She obviously knew that Diana had ratted her out. Beka put her fingers to her lips then pointed to Lorine and Diana's room.

"All right, Lorine," Beka started, once both of them were in that room with the door closed. "Fork over your driver's license," she continued, holding out her hand. Lorine gave her a distraught look, her mouth open.

"No, Beka, please don't!" she begged. Beka didn't react at all.

"Your license. Now, Lorine," she ordered. Lorine sulkily pulled her purse out from under her bed and removed the wallet from it, pulling the card out and handing it to her sister. "And your debit card," Beka added as an afterthought. The teenager pulled the other card out as well, handing it to Beka, who pocketed both of them.

"How long before I can have them back?" Lorine asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"You'll get them back when I decide you get them back." Beka turned to go. A beep sounded from Lorine's purse just a moment before Beka walked out the door. She turned back to see Lorine glancing between her purse and her sister. "The cell phone, too."

Lorine sullenly pulled her phone out and handed it to Beka, who turned it off as she walked out the door, closing it behind her. She knocked on her brothers' door, where she was greeted by Nilo. The twelve-year-old looked very pleased with himself.

"Me and Will are ready for school, sis," he told her with a grin. She ruffled his hair and smiled back at him.

"Good. Go had some breakfast then," she said. "Di's still asleep on the couch, so be quiet about it. She doesn't have class today, so she doesn't have to get up." Nilo nodded and closed the door again before going to tell Will.

Beka sighed, suddenly feeling extremely tired. She still had to call Lorine's school to tell them that Lorine was going to be late because of some…issues that had to be taken care.

She shook her head as she headed to her room. Even with the fact that she had to get some sleep, this was going to be a long day…

* * *

As Beka walked into work later, she was less than happy. She had spent a half-hour on the phone with Lorine's principal being lectured about the fact that her sister was acting out and she was supposed to do something. She hadn't bothered to explain that she was trying, but not only was she having a hard time, but she worked the night shift, after all. That meant she slept during the day, and wasn't usually more than half aware when she usually did see her siblings.

They were used to that – it had been that way ever since they had moved in with her. Before, even, when she stopped coming to see them as often because she had continually fallen asleep playing cards with Will and Nilo on more than one occasion because of her late hours.

She was not about to complain though. As much as she was having trouble with her home life, and she didn't really like her partner, she loved her job. Beka had dreamed of being a police officer almost her entire life, and she wouldn't have been able to without the scholarship she had been given by a now retired officer who had taken a special interest in her when she was in college and interning when they would let her.

After being lectured, she had had to take care of other things and had ended up being an hour and a half late getting to sleep. It didn't help matters that she hadn't slept well. Now if only Parker could find a way not to get on her nerves, she would be marginally more pleased.

She walked past Ersken's desk, though she knew her friend probably wouldn't be there – half the time he and his partner just went in and right back out to their cruiser when they were on duty. That was what Beka and Parker would be doing that night, as well.

Beka entered the shared office to find it unoccupied, which pleased her – she would have a few moments of peace before Parker appeared, it seemed. Maybe she could fend off the headache she felt coming on.

As she made her way over to her desk, she suddenly missed her time working with Goodwin and Tunstall acutely. Even if they weren't _her_ partners, they were good people, and interesting to work with. It was particularly interesting when Tunstall was ranting about one new sci-fi thing or another. It was all gibberish to Beka anyway, but it was usually rather amusing to watch Goodwin get annoyed and make a snide comment or hit him upside the head for not shutting up.

With a sigh, Beka leaned back in the chair behind her desk, closing her eyes and willing herself not to fall asleep. That was the last thing she needed. Particularly with the possibility that Parker could walk in any second…well, she would never live it down if he caught her asleep on the job.

After about twenty minutes, she glanced at the clock and frowned. Parker was later. And on a night they were supposed to be going on patrol, too. Well, she thought to herself, he was only ten minutes late. She could deal with that. He could have gotten stuck doing something at the front desk or helping one of the other officers, though she doubted it. It wasn't until Ersken poked his head into the office that she began to be very perturbed.

"Where's the partner?" he asked, nodding his head to Rosto's empty desk. Beka shrugged.

"I don't know. I figured he just hadn't deigned it necessary to come in here yet. He's not out there?" she inquired, her frown deepening as she watched her friend. He shook his head.

"Nope. Haven't seen him, and my desk is right out there where I see everyone who goes in and out. I was stuck here early, too, doing that report that Darin was supposed to do but somehow managed to neglect. I haven't seen him since I got here," Ersken told her. Beka blew out a breath of air, following that with a disgusted noise.

"I'll go see if Jay's seen him, then. If he hasn't, Parker is going to be in _so_ much trouble…"

"I don't doubt that. And he's in for it to, judging by that look," he replied. Beka tilted her head slightly, looking at him like she didn't know what he was talking about. While she knew her light blue-grey eyes were just that shade to scare people, whether by design or by accident, she hadn't known that she was _that_ predictable. Ersken snickered. "I'll just leave you to your planning…I hope you scare Parker out of his skin," he added. He proceeded to disappear back out of the office, leaving Beka to her thoughts. With a sigh, she got up and left the office, too.

"Hey, Jay, any chance you've seen my partner?" she called as she neared the front desk. The man behind the desk shook his head.

"No such luck, Cooper. Haven't seen Parker at all," Jay replied. Beka made a face.

"Wonderful. He's late, and we're supposed to be on the street now," she said, glancing at her watch. Now, he was almost twenty minutes late. "You happen to have his address?" she asked.

"Of course. Tracking him down are we, little puppy?" Beka nodded, grinning at the way Jay said that to her, shaking her head at his teasing.

"Yes, Jay. If I don't, he's going to mess up my whole shift," she said.

"It'll only be a minute," Jay replied, tapping away at his keyboard. "Got it," he said after a moment. He scribbled out the address on a piece of paper and handed it to Beka. She glanced at it and her mood was somewhat brightened by the fact that she knew where his apartment was.

"Thanks, Jay," she said, forcing a smile before she went back and grabbed the keys to one of the cruisers – she was going to drag him right through patrol duty before she let him come back to the station. He was still in trouble.

It only took her about ten minutes to find the building where he lived – Ersken had lived there once, when they were both just starting out. He had moved when he had found a more suitable place, but she could still remember going over to his apartment to hang out with him, Kora, and a few of their mutual friends.

The best part was that Jay had even given her his apartment number, so she didn't even have to stop and ask or anything. She just ended up taking the elevator to the fourth floor since she didn't have time to trek up the stairs. And it was easy enough to find, too, once she was on his floor.

She paused in front of his door, listening to the sound she could hear through it. She couldn't quite tell what it was. So, she knocked. The instant response was the sound of a dog barking. Beka frowned slightly. She hadn't pegged Parker as a dog person.

"It's open!" a voice called from inside. She turned the knob and pushed the door open to be greeted by a light yellow Labrador Retriever and the sound of a guitar. She had to try to force the energetic dog down when it started jumping on her with excitement, trying to lick her face. "Suri, down!"

Beka looked up to see Rosto sitting on his cough with a phone in his hand and what looked to be a nice guitar on his lap. He was wearing a grey t-shirt with some sort of design over one shoulder, black jeans, and his combat books. She raised her eyebrow at him, but he wasn't paying attention to her at all.

"Suri, come here," he said, patting the couch to get his dog's attention. The lab bounded over to him with a wagging tail. "So, Nikki, what did you think of that?" he asked the person on the other end of the phone conversation. The response was obviously pleasing, from his expression. "Excellent. Of course I'll send you the finished version. You should know me better than that," he said teasingly, a chuckle in his voice.

Beka cleared her throat, tapping her foot as she continued to watch him. He glanced at her, then held up one finger, indicating that she needed only wait another minute.

"Yes, Nikki. I gotta go now. I'll talk to you soon. I promise. Yes, I'll call you tomorrow. I will. You, too. Bye, Niks," he said. He flipped his phone shut and looked at Beka expectantly. "What can I do for you?" he asked. Beka glared at him.

"Do you have any idea what time it is?" she demanded. He looked at her with a strange expression on his face then shook his head. He shook his wrist, jerking his watch free and glanced at it.

"My watch says five-thirty."

"Check your phone," she said with the patience she would use with two-year-old throwing a temper tantrum. He did so, then looked up at her, proceeding to cut himself off before he started cursing.

"I didn't know that!" he said, holding his hands up in defense.

"Then you should have been paying attention!" she replied, her voice icy. "So, while you're here sitting on your butt talking on your phone, there are some of us who actually care that we have work today."

"I swear, my watch stopped. It's not my fault!"

"Whatever. Just shut up and get ready to go."

"Well, _sorry._ You could have just called me, you know. I do have call waiting, you know," he said in a matter-of-fact tone. Beka just glared at him until he retreated into another room, closing the door behind him.

Why did they have to partner her with _him_? She sighed and his dog came padding over and wagged her tail at Beka. Though she was really more of a cat person, she had to admit, she – Suri, as Parker had called her – was very cute. She hadn't pegged Parker as a dog person from what she had seen of him. But, apparently he was if he had one of his own free will.

Moments later, he appeared once more, having changed into his uniform. He was buckling his gun belt on as he walked out, then he reached up and smoothed his white-blond hair out of habit.

"Happy now?" he asked. Beka smirked at him.

"Of course. And by the way, I'm driving."


	6. Peacemaking

Ten minutes later, both Beka and her partner could be found in the cruiser as Beka tightened her hands on the steering wheel without a word. Parker had his arms crossed over his chest and was glaring out the window, his lips pressed into a thin line. His dark eyes scanned the streets as they passed, but he still looked very annoyed.

There was a tense silence between them for a long time while Beka concentrated on driving. Internally, she would admit that she felt a little bad about the way she had treated him. It was just that he made her so angry! And while she honestly did appreciate what he'd done for her in regard to Lorine and that party, the way he generally acted peeved her beyond all reason. She had always disliked the egotistical people in her high school and college who had been like him.

But, she would admit, that Parker had one redeeming quality, at least: he cared. He wasn't like one of those officers who just sat on his butt and, as the stereotype police officer was supposed to, ate doughnuts until he stomped off to take a call that really didn't matter to him. From what she had seen in the last few days, Beka would admit that he was decent at his job at the least, and she knew she was biased, at that.

"Parker?" she asked softly, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye. He sighed and looked at her, annoyance written all over his face.

"What?" he demanded, watching her expectantly. He raised an eyebrow when a few seconds passed.

"Look, I'm sorry that I was so short-tempered with you. It wasn't your fault your watch stopped. I shouldn't have snapped at you," Beka admitted.

"Why do you hate me so much?" Parker asked. He was staring at her with his dark brown eyes. Beka peeked at him out of the corner of her eye again and regretted it. He was looking at her with such intensity that it almost scared her, and she wasn't one who considered herself easily scared. She remained silent for a moment before she answered.

"I don't hate you," she said several moments later. Parker raised an eyebrow and gave her a disbelieving look. "I really don't hate you, Parker, I just don't like you all that much…"

"How is that any different? You still don't want to work with me, and you don't want to be my partner. I can tell. And while I'm at it, why is it that you call me by my surname? I introduced myself to you as Rosto, and yet you call me Parker instead," he pointed out. Beka could feel herself turning a little pink when he said that. He had a point, though. He _had_ introduced himself as Rosto, and had only told her his last name when she had blurted out the nickname he had picked up in interrogation.

She wanted to laugh at herself just then – Parker was using his charm and probably at least one of the techniques he used in interrogation on her. She turned her head a slightly, giving him a look that was part disbelief and part amusement.

"Don't you try that on me," she said sternly, turning back to the road. "I am not someone you want to practice on."

"What?" Out of the corner of her eye, Beka could see Parker frowning at her, his confusion apparent in the expression.

"Just don't do that. I don't like it when people practice their interrogation techniques on me," Beka said. Parker looked somewhat affronted by that.

"I wasn't doing anything, much less practicing on you. I don't even need to practice on you – I'm good enough at it already."

"Watch it, Parker. Your ego is showing," she replied, rolling her eyes. Parker snorted.

"Only you would change the subject like that," he muttered. If it wasn't for the fact that he had turned his head to look out his window, she would have glared at him again. "You never answered my question, though," he pointed out without turning back to her.

"I don't know, okay?"

"Fine then. But it would be more polite of you to address me as Rosto, you know. And you'll notice that I haven't addressed you as 'Cooper' since you corrected me when we met. If I address you, it's as Beka, just like you said. There's no reason you should call me 'Parker.' My given name is Rosto, and I would like it if you to call me by that instead. And it gets on my nerves if people overhear and say something like 'Parker – like Peter Parker, Spiderman's secret identity?'" he muttered. Beka half turned to look at him, a look of complete confusion on her face. Rosto snorted, grinning at her.

"People seriously say that?" she asked. He nodded, chuckling at the expression on her face. Then he shook his head.

"No, I'm just pulling your leg. I've gotten that once, but that was from my five-year-old second-cousin, who adored Spiderman. You should have seen the look on your face, though!" he said. His dark eyes were glittering with mirth as she scowled at him.

"You are _so_ irritating…" she muttered. Rosto chuckled.

"And I'm okay with that. You're a very interesting person, Beka," he said. "How do you do all that you do?" Beka glanced at him.

"What are you talking about?" she asked. A slight frown appeared on her face.

"I read your file," he replied nonchalantly. She glared at him. "You live with your four siblings, and work night shift. Not to mention have to deal with that little brat of a sister every day. How do you do that?" he continued. He seemed genuinely curious, but she wasn't about to trust that.

"It's life. Our mom died a couple years back, right after my sister Diana had graduated from high school and had only just turned eighteen," she said quietly. There was a long pause before Beka wanted to continue. "Our stepfather walked out on her and our three half-siblings. Di' couldn't make ends meet, so I stepped in. I got a bigger apartment, and they moved in with me. I deal with things as they come, that's all." There was a long silence after she said that. After a few minutes, Beka glanced at Rosto again, to find him watching the streets as they went by, his dark eyes scanning for anything out of the ordinary.

He had a far away look in his eyes as he looked out on the streets, she noted. While he was obviously paying attention, he was thinking about something, and his mind was caught between two places at once.

"And what about you?" Beka prompted. Rosto turned back to her again, a little confused.

"What did you want to know? You could read my file and find almost everything about me on there," he told her. "My life, my friends, everything. You haven't read that yet?" he asked. Beka shook her head. "I'm surprised," he said.

"The words on the files don't always make out the person properly, I've learned," she said. "If I want to keep my relationship with someone, whether it's friendly or a co-worker relationship, I don't need to know what the biases of other people are before I make my own judgments. Besides, I've heard about you over and over again since I started working in the CPD. I've heard stories about how you've acted, how you're womanizing and arrogant, and things that I know can't be true. I don't believe all of them, but I will say, you are both of those…"

" _Hey!_ That isn't fair!" he exclaimed. There was a slight outrage on his face. "I'm not that bad!" Beka shook her head.

"Now _that,_ I knew I was going to hear…" Rosto rolled his eyes at that comment.

"You are very annoying when you want to be," he pronounced. "And I thought _I_ had some pretty good punch lines… You are indeed a very interesting person, Beka Cooper."

"Thank you… I think…"

"Now, you were saying something about wanting to know something?" he inquired, watching her with both eyebrows raised.

"Not now. Later. I think we've got a shoplifter on our hands."

* * *

"Rosto."

"What?" Rosto looked up at Beka, who was looking very annoyed at him from where she sat at her desk.

"Stop that tapping. I'm writing a report here," she told him, raising an eyebrow. He frowned slightly.

"I was tapping?" he asked. Beka nodded.

"Yes, you were tapping your fingers to whatever you're listening to, I think," she said. He considered that for a moment.

"I wasn't aware that I was doing that…" he admitted. A half-smile appeared on his face. "But then, I do have a way of irritating you to no end without even trying, don't I?" he asked. Beka rolled her eyes again.

They had been getting along very well since their little conversation in the car. Beka was still a little annoyed over his ego and the fact that he was probably trying to use his charm on her. But, she wasn't going to fall for that. She did like him much more than she had before, though. When he didn't have that ego of his all puffed up, and was actually just talking, he was a lot nicer, and less prone to the womanizing attitude. Particularly when he was tired and wasn't fully aware anymore.

That was how it appeared at the moment. He saw sitting at his desk, writing something down (she didn't know what) and he looked like he was about to fall asleep. He once again had one earbud in, while the other was resting on the desktop. Well, it _was_ nearly six in the morning, and he had to wait for her to get done, since he had already finished, because he didn't feel like asking one of the other officers for a ride back to his apartment.

Beka stopped and looked over what she had written so far, then glanced at her partner to see that he had dozed off. She chuckled and was about to wake him up when his cell phone – which had been quiet all night – started ringing loudly. Rosto jumped and appeared to scramble for it. A frown crossed his face when he looked at who was calling. He glanced at Beka and rolled his eyes before he flipped it open.

"Hello, Nikki," he started. Beka shook her head. "No, I was just sitting on my couch watching that tv show you've been bugging me about. Of course I'm at work. It's six in the morning," he said with a sigh. He raised an eyebrow at Beka, which drew another chuckle and headshake from her. He waited for a moment, apparently listening to his friend's response.

"I am aware that there's only a five hour difference between what time it is in New York and what time it is in London, Nikki. I told you yesterday that I'm working in Chicago now, not New York. It's only six here, and I'm not off work yet. I'll call you later, after I've gotten some sleep, all right? All right. Later, Niks…" he said. Rosto closed the phone and sighed, leaning forward to rest his head on his desk, which was much more comfortable than the last position he had fallen asleep in.

"You have friends all over, don't you?" Beka asked. Rosto raised his head to look at her.

"Yeah. Nikki is traveling, though. She's a singer, and she's touring in England, so we usually play phone tag, because I don't usually answer my phone when I'm on duty," he told her. "It's usually muted, if I have it with me at all," he added as he glanced at it. He held up the phone for her to see. It, she noted, was a Verizon Chocolate, dark blue, and looked like it had a few nicks in it.

"What sort of music does she sing?" Beka asked curiously. Rosto considered that for a moment.

"Mainly pop and rock music…she's tried her hand at some ballads that turned out really well, and even some jazz and some other styles, but mostly it's just pop and rock. I have one of her albums over here, and all of her music on my iPod, if you want to listen. She's very talented," he said. Beka nodded rather absently, both in agreement and assent.

"Maybe you can play something for me tomorrow, then?" she suggested. Rosto nodded.

"By all means. How early do you usually come into work?" he asked, rising in his chair and running his finger down the stack of jewelcases on the shelf behind his desk.

"Maybe twenty minutes. Why?"

"Nothing, I'm just trying to figure out what I'd have time to play for you. Nikki has a lot of good music – she's been recording since we were eighteen, and has four albums out now with no less than thirteen on each disk," Rosto replied. He pulled out one jewelcase and considered it. "I helped with the first one. I did the guitar on it. If I hadn't been interested in police work, the old band she and I were in back in high school might have been recording instead," he continued.

"Really? That's pretty cool," Beka said. A smile flitted across Rosto's face.

"It was pretty fun. I probably won't get to do it again, though. I play for my own pleasure now, and I write songs, some of which she's also recorded," he said. "If she's ever in town and we're still working together, I'll introduce you," he added absently as he scanned the back of one of the cases.

"I'd like that," Beka said softly. "She sounds like a very interesting person." Rosto chuckled.

"You have no idea…How much longer until you're done?"

"I don't know. Why?" she inquired, glancing down at her paper.

"I'd like to be in my own bed when I fall asleep, thank you very much…"


	7. A Favor

Mid-Sunday afternoon found Beka sitting on the couch in her apartment, staring blankly at the television. Nilo, Will, and Diana had decided that they wanted to watch a movie – which had ended up being some movie based on a book that the three of them had read. Beka had no idea what was going on, and she had woken up when they were about fifteen minutes into it, and had joined them on the couch another fifteen after that.

She sighed and yawned, taking her gaze away from the screen for a moment. She was definitely glad that this was her day off. She was still tired, even though she had slept for eight hours.

"Is the movie really that boring, Beka?" Diana asked. She was sitting on the other side of Will, with Nilo on her lap. Beka glanced at her and shook her head, yawning again.

"No, I'm just tired," she said. Diana nodded.

"You should try to transfer to the day shift, if you're that tired," she told her sister.

"I don't mind working nights," Beka said with a sigh. "I'm just not fully awake right now. And you know that I usually fall asleep during movies, anyway," she pointed out.

"True," Diana agreed. She remained silent after that comment, once again paying attention to the movie. Beka tried to pay attention to it after that, but she really wasn't that interested in it. She started to doze off not too long after that, and was only awakened when her phone let out a beep that told her she had a text message. Beka blinked at her phone for a moment before flipping it open and opening the message. It was from Ersken. No one else she knew was so literate with a text.

_You busy tonight?_

Beka looked at it for a moment. Finally, she got up – shooting an apologetic look at her siblings – and walked over to the kitchen, where she had a calendar pinned up on the wall. She scanned it, then turned her attention back to her phone.

_No, why?_

About ten seconds after she sent that, her phone started ringing.

"All right, Ersken, what's going on?" she asked when she answered it. Ersken started laughing. Beka rolled her eyes. It sounded like he'd only gotten a couple of hours of sleep just because of that. He was probably still excited that Kora had said yes, though. So, he had a bit of an excuse.

"Nothing is going on, Beka," Ersken told her when he stopped laughing. "I have a favor to ask of you, though," he added in a more serious tone.

"You still owe me for covering for you last year when you didn't want to go to that party," Beka pointed out. Ersken groaned.

"Don't remind me. Kora hasn't let me live that down yet," he reminded her.

"Either way, you already owe me, Ersken," Beka said. "What exactly does this involve?" There was a pause, and garbled words in the background. Beka waited several moments before Ersken finally responded.

"Apparently one of Kora's friends from high school is in town and she asked him to go out to dinner with us. And she seems to think he needs a date," Ersken told her. He sounded a little annoyed, but even more put out because he had to ask his friend for a date for his fiancée's high school friend.

Beka was taken aback for a moment. But, it wasn't a bad idea – she would get to spend time with Kora and Ersken, who former of whom she hadn't seen in over a month. She considered it for a moment.

"I suppose I can help you," she said with a sigh. "What time do I need to meet you?"

"Umm…." There was a pause on Ersken's end and the sounds of a quiet discussion. "We're supposed to meet him at Va Pensiero, Kora's favorite, at eight tonight," he told her. "And Kora won't tell me who he is. Sorry, Beks. Thanks for saying you'd do this for me. I really appreciate it."

"Don't worry about it, Ersken. And believe you me, you'll make it up to me one of these days," she reminded him. "Or, as I've said before, I'll tell Kora about the—"

"Don't you dare!" Beka chuckled.

"I wasn't going to tell her to begin with Ersken. Don't get all worked up about it," she said.

"You're mean, Beka," Ersken commented.

"No, I just know you, Ersken," she replied. "I'll see you at eight at the restaurant."

"All right. Bye, Beka."

"Bye," she replied. She slid her phone shut and slipped it in her pocket. This was going to be interesting, she could already tell that much.

"Hey, Di?" she called after thinking for a moment.

"Yeah?" Diana asked, half-turning on the couch.

"Looks like I've got a pity date tonight," she said with a sigh. "Kora wants a date for her friend from high school, and I said I'd do it. Any ideas on what I should wear?" she asked.

"What are the limitations to my suggestions?" Diana asked as she got to her feet.

"No dresses. I would prefer pants, but I'll deal with it if you have another idea. I don't have any, so any suggestions are welcome," Beka said. Her sister thought for a moment.

'Well, what about that pretty light blue sweater I have? It's not heavy, it's modest enough for your taste, and it'll bring out your eyes," Diana suggested. "Maybe with your denim skirt, the silver flats and the butterfly necklace?" she added. Beka looked at her with surprise.

"How did you come up with an outfit that fast?" she asked, tilting her head. "You didn't even ask where we were going…" Diana grinned at her.

"Well, I know you don't like to dress up, so you wouldn't have agreed to help Ersken, and you have to wear something nice if it's a date, so logically, that would make perfect sense," Diana pointed out. Beka blinked at her.

"Okay then. I assume you have a hairstyle, as well?" she asked. Beka was almost scared to hear the answer to that question. Diana always had been good at picking out outfits for her older sister, though she wasn't very good at helping most other people. That was probably why she hadn't wanted to get a job as a salesperson.

"No, actually, you'd have to ask Lorine about that…but that probably isn't a good idea…." Diana said. Beka nodded.

"You're right about that," she agreed. "Could I get away with a pony tail, do you think?" she asked.

"Well, we'll just have to see, won't we?" her sister said. "I'll go get the sweater and you can go see if you can find the rest of the outfit," she added, disappearing down to the room she shared with Lorine.

Beka shook her head as she went back to the couch. Will and Nilo were still completely engrossed in their movie. She sat down and tried to interest herself in it, but she had no idea what was going on – there was a dragon in silvery armor on screen, and it looked like there was a battle going on.

It was only a few moments before Diana returned with the shirt she had suggested. Beka got up again and walked over to where her younger sister was standing. Diana held up a long-sleeved, periwinkle blue shirt with a very slight v-shaped dip in the neckline. Beka looked at it for a moment before she nodded.

"All right," she conceded. "And you think I should wear that denim skirt I wore to Will's middle school graduation last summer?" she asked. Diana grinned.

"Exactly. With your silver flats and the blue butterfly choker I gave you for your birthday," Diana told her. "What do you think?" Beka shook her head.

"Sometimes I wonder what I would do without you, Di. I haven't been on a date since high school…"

"Then this will be good for you," Diana replied. "You've been out of college for a while, so it's been too long."

"I haven't had time," Beka reminded her. Diana shook her head at her sister.

"It's still long overdue, Beka. You've been working non-stop since we moved in with you two years ago. You need to have some fun. And besides, even if you don't think you have time, a good guy would understand, since you work night shift and all," Diana said. Beka sighed.

"I'm not going to argue with you, Di, but I still don't think you're right. My priorities are work and supporting all of you," she told her sister firmly. "I don't need a boyfriend to get in the way of that." Diana rolled her eyes.

"You know, Bek, you said a lot of things that contradict that when you were in high school…" Diana pointed out. Beka rolled her eyes.

"That was then, Di. It's different now. Back then, I didn't think things were going to end up like this," she said. Diana shook her head, putting her hands on her hips and giving Beka a look.

"Different the circumstances may be, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't date or anything. Personally, I'd like to be a bridesmaid in your wedding sooner rather than later," Diana told her dryly. Beka stared at her.

"Diana…" she warned. "I'm not getting married anytime soon, and I'm certainly not getting a boyfriend," Beka said, pursing her lips.

"So you say," Diana teased. "But you'll change your mind if you meet the right guy," she told her sister. Beka rolled her eyes again.

"Give it up, Di," she said. "I'm going to go get ready, and I've got a report to finish before tomorrow night."

"Fine, just have fun tonight, okay?"

"I'll try," Beka said, taking the shirt that Diana offered her. "But no teasing, and I am not gushing when I get back."

"Oh, that's fine. I can just ask Kora anyhow," Diana told her. Beka just shook her head as she walked back to her bedroom.

It only took Beka a few moments to find everything. She was very pleased with the outfit that her sister had picked out for her, which was an accomplishment, considering that she really did not like getting dressed up in any way. And for Beka, getting dressed up meant even wearing a skirt.

Diana had been right, she decided. The blue color brought out the slightly odd shade of blue-grey her eyes were.

Beka frowned at the mirror for a moment then went in search of a clip for her hair. She glanced at her watch as she started looking. She had three hours. That was plenty of time for her to have a shower, get ready, and still finish her report. If nothing got in her way, she amended.


End file.
